Child immigrants move out of shelter amidst sex abuse allegations

Dozens of child immigrants in a federal shelter in South Texas have been moved out amid allegations that a staff member sexually abused the youngsters.

The last child left the state-licensed Away From Home Inc. shelter in Nixon, Texas, on March 7, amid an FBI probe into reported sexual abuse of young detainees, all illegal immigrant children traveling alone.

It was unclear whether the federal government would cancel its contract with Away From Home or whether it would ever be used again, said Joshua Trent of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which handles juvenile immigrants.

Like the scandal involving allegations of sexual abuse at state juvenile prisons, prosecution has been delayed by government confusion over which agency should handle the case.

Gonzalez County Sheriff Glen Sachtleben, who first heard of the accusations three months ago, turned the case over to federal authorities because it involved federal inmates.

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who oversees the Western District of Texas, referred the case back to Gonzalez County District Attorney Vicki Pattillo.

"Reluctantly we concluded that we didn't have jurisdiction for a felony," Sutton told The Associated Press Friday. "That's the reluctant conclusion we came to. And if we are going to take (these cases) seriously, I think we need to hit them with a felony."

Pattillo, who Sachtleben said has been aware of and briefed on the investigation since its start earlier this year, was not working Friday and could not immediately be reached.

The investigation, first reported by The Los Angeles Times, focuses on a single employee at the shelter in Nixon, Texas, a town of about 2,200 people about 50 miles southeast of San Antonio. Trent said the probe was prompted by an internal complaint to authorities, including Texas Child Protective Services officials and Sachtleben.

Trent said officials from the refugee resettlement agency visited the facility days after learning of the investigation in mid-February. The children were removed to "err on the side of caution since our primary concern is the safety and well-being of the children," he said.

The accused employee, who was not identified, was suspended and later fired. Trent said any one working at a contract facility must pass a "stringent background check" that includes a criminal check.

Away from Home officials referred questions to Trent's office.

Trent said the children who were not believed to be victims of abuse were transferred to other facilities, reunited with relatives in the United States or deported. None of the alleged victims have left the country. Trent would not discuss how many children might be involved or their ages.

News of the Nixon investigation comes as state officials continue to wrestle with an ongoing and growing scandal over sexual abuse allegations at Texas Youth Commission juvenile jails around the state. Sachtleben said that while the cases may sound similar, the Nixon probe is different.

"Nothing indicates we have sex offenders entrenched in this situation," Sachtleben said. "We have a report of an impropriety that is being worked on."